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Heinz Field or Home Game Experience

I think I know the answer for many of you, but I'm curious which everyone prefers, why, and has it changed?

1. Heinz Field Game Experience

or

2. Watching the Steelers at Home

I'm 500+ miles from Pittsburgh, so I choose home out of necessity. But I even enjoy watching with family/friends when I'm in Pittsburgh and think I'd choose the home experience over the stadium even if I lived in Pittsburgh again.

I heard only 29% of fans prefer the stadium experience. And the preference is shifting rapidly to the home from 54% in the 90s.

I was listening to OTL on ESPN and they were talking about adding WiFi and the home experience in new stadiums. But I'm not sure that's enough for me really.

Pros of Home:
Twitter, Radio, No Weather, Better Food, Can Pause, Bathrooms, No Travel (to and from), No Parking, Less Expensive, No Drunks, More Comfy, Can Follow FF, Access to a Laptop, iPad, iPhone, More Time to Do Other Stuff on Gameday

Pros of Heinz Field:
Playing Dress Up, Getting to Experience the City, the Stadium, the people, the energy, seeing the flow of the game, the strategy, the athleticism, and everything that tv can't capture

I still love going to games. But as I get older, I realize I would choose the home experience because of the general convenience. Not that I have the luxury of choice.

Although, I volunteered for the Big Brother/Big Sisters program and they had an infinite supply of tickets to every event that companies would give away for these kids. And I've been to tons of non Steelers sporting activities and I realize that I enjoy the experience better when I'm at a game where I'm not 100% focused on the team/game.

I've noticed, I like the Steelers/Pens so much I can't fully enjoy the experience because I'm focused on their games. And when I look at the pros of the stadium experience, the pros are all about the experience and not the game. And I think that's why I like watching at home. I get to focus on the game.

And the game trumps the experience. I think that's how I feel currently. But I change my mind constantly about these things. I think I just get caught up in the moment and enjoy anything I'm doing more than anything else I could be doing in the world.

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Aug 2008

Location

N.Y.

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3,587

Honestly, there is nothing like a home playoff game feeling.
As I've grown older though(42 now), I prefer to watch games at home by myself with just my son.
I'm in NY and in the same boat Flippy.
Too long of a drive and the expense to go to a game can cost me and my boys over $6-700 for the trip.
I pay for DIRECTTV just to watch them on TV and I won't go top the bars.
I took my 7 year old to his 1st Steelers game ever against the Giants and look forward to taking him to Hienz field next year.
After that he can go with his crazy uncle Pittsfan201 who goes to about 5 or 6 Hienz field games a year from New York

I wish people would/could leave politics out of a Steelers Football Forum.

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Originally Posted by pittpete

Honestly, there is nothing like a home playoff game feeling.
As I've grown older though(42 now), I prefer to watch games at home by myself with just my son.
I'm in NY and in the same boat Flippy.
Too long of a drive and the expense to go to a game can cost me and my boys over $6-700 for the trip.
I pay for DIRECTTV just to watch them on TV and I won't go top the bars.
I took my 7 year old to his 1st Steelers game ever against the Giants and look forward to taking him to Hienz field next year.
After that he can go with his crazy uncle Pittsfan201 who goes to about 5 or 6 Hienz field games a year from New York

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Aug 2008

Location

N.Y.

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Ive been to 5 AFC Championship games and 2 regular playoff games and it's undescribable when you look at the sea of terrible towels and then RENEGADE plays.
I almost friggin fainted at the Cleveland playoff game with Maddox when FU ran it in.
I also cried when SD beat us

I wish people would/could leave politics out of a Steelers Football Forum.

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May 2008

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Where the Rubber Meets the Road (in NEPA)

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28,337

Originally Posted by flippy

I would love to experience a playoff game or a SuperBowl some day.

There is nothing like being up in my bleacher seats in the 4th quarter of a tight playoff game after Renegade plays, with everyone on their feet, screaming, banging on seats, and feeling the actual stadium bouncing up and down beneath your feet.

I was a bit concerned that attending a Super Bowl would be somewhat of a letdown (more corporate bigwigs who sit on their hands as opposed to insane folks like myself whose voice changes completely from one quarter to the next because of all the damage that I am doing to my vocal cords when the Steelers are on defense). I was pleasantly surprised, though, with how Steeler fans were able to TAKE OVER in Detroit and Tampa with seemingly over 90% of the stands proudly waving Terrible Towels, and less than 10% in small pockets for the Seahawks or Cardinals (I didn't make it to Dallas for the Super Bowl against Green Bay).

I enjoy getting to see half the games live in person (the home games) and half the games from the comfort of my living room (the away games). Many people here at work think I'm nuts that I came in for work this Monday and last Tuesday when they know that I left Pittsburgh after midnight and drove 5+ hours until the sun came up, but that's the kind of thing that makes memories...you remember sitting out there in on a cold, windy, rainy night when the Steelers set up massive stadium-wide placards displaying "Thank You Military" on Veteran's Day, or sitting out there on a cold night (but not rainy or windy this time) while the team brought back guys like Bill Priatko, Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Dwayne Woodruff, Craig Wolfley, Tunch Ilkin, Louis Lipps, Dermontti Dawson, Rod Woodson, Josh Miller, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Chris Hoke, James Farrior, and Hines Ward for the teams 80th birthday celebration at halftime.

NFL player locker room talk: Discussing what can be done about racial inequality and criminal justice reform.

According to the highest office in the country, some "very fine people" marched with torches in a violent protest in Charlottesville, but participating in a non-violent protest on a football field means you are an S.O.B. who should be fired.

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Originally Posted by pittpete

Ive been to 5 AFC Championship games and 2 regular playoff games and it's undescribable when you look at the sea of terrible towels and then RENEGADE plays.
I almost friggin fainted at the Cleveland playoff game with Maddox when FU ran it in.
I also cried when SD beat us

Just like Plaxico, you're one lucky son of a gun.

Wonder who's been to the most playoff games on the board? I've been to 0.